Organisers of the ever-popular Risk Kitchen Llanelli Half Marathon made a commitment in 2020 to reduce their carbon footprint by implementing new measures at the event this year.

The race attracts thousands of runners every year and has increased its field by popular demand, so this comes as welcome news from the running community and locals alike.

Nevertheless, this will be the first trial of its kind for a major race organiser in Wales and for the team at Front Runner Events. The aim of the trial will be to reduce the amount of single use plastics on the course by replacing bottles with compostable cups. As this is a trial, the organisers remain cautious and are urgently reminding runners to:

1. 1. Bring their own water bottles or hydration packs to the race. Run what you’ve trained with!
2. 2. Hydrate well - there will be water stops every 3 miles, so take the time to stop at each one to re-hydrate.
3. 3. Be careful when approaching water tables and please be patient as every runner may need water.
4. 4. Be respectful to other runners, volunteers & the course (and dispose of cups correctly)
5. 5. Hydrate post-race – it’s vital to replace lost water post-race so there will be bottled water provided by Brecon Carreg at the finish (which is 100% recyclable so please dispose these in recycle bins at the finish).

David Martin-Jewell, director at Front Runner Events stated:

“As an ambitious company, we are continuously looking at how we manage and make improvements to our events. In 2020 we have made a pledge to reduce the amount of single use plastic at our races and as such, we are trialling the use of PLA compostable cups at all water stations on the course at Llanelli.

Whilst all water stops will be at the same location as previous years, there will be an obvious difference to how runners will obtain water and how each station is managed. We need all runners to be patient and approach the water stops with care, as it’s important that runners hydrate at each stop.

As a responsible event organiser we will scrutinise all aspects of race day in great detail, and assess the implications of the trial throughout the event. Monitoring all aspects of this trial is critical if we are to continue with our commitment to reduce single use plastic at our future events.”

RACE FACTS AT A GLANCE:

• By introducing compostable cups on the course, the amount of plastic used to hydrate runners at the event has been cut by 56% compared to last year.
• The event consistently maintains a high recycle rate diverting 98% of plastic bottles from landfill.
• Thousands of plastic goody bags have been removed from the race.
• Introduction of the Race App, and Digital Race Day Guide has removed the use of paper and energy production.
• Individual packaging has been cut from of all t-shirt and medals.
• All medals are made from recycled materials.

Eleri Powell of Brecon Carreg said:

“We are pleased to be supporting runners at the Risk Kitchen Llanelli Half Marathon again this year and we are delighted with the new strategy being implemented by Front Runner Events. We realise the importance of runners rehydrating well, which is why we will be providing water at the finish and helping fund the trial. Our bottles are 100% recyclable and hope that all finishers will dispose of them in the recycle bins provided, helping give our bottles a second life.”

To find out more about Front Runner Events, the team behind this initiative or their races across South and West Wales go to: www.frontrunnerevents.co.uk or for up-to-date news follow them on Twitter @FrontRunEvents or like their Facebook page: facebook.com/frontrunnereventsltd